what is the point of a jeweled action

[k31]

i have asked tis on another forum also but havent heard any 1 reason repeated it seems to most i ask it that it does some thing else
does it help with the speed you can retract the bolt
does it provide less friction allowing it to turn easier
or is it to simply look good
im just starting to play with some of my old nagants and wasnt sure if jeweling the action is worth the hour or so i would spend at the drill press just to put a bunch of neat looking swirls on an already functioning bolt
so far i hear it is more for looks

[sc928porsche]

"jewelled" actions are not any smother that any other action that has been polished. The swirling might hold oil a little better, but not enough to make any difference. It is purely asthetic. To see an engraved rifle with a jewelled action is pleasant and does stand out from the others. Engraving and jewelling take a lot of time and care but the results can be fantastic.

[k31]

if you have the right tools jeweling is very quick i have a friend back home who showed me how and it is the same way they show on you tube
all you need is a drill press and a small brush and some abrassive paste
set your press to the right depth and position you bolt underneath and clamp it solid so it cant walk or travel set you rotation speed to a steady and easy pace to work with apply the paste to the brush and press it to the bolt for how ever long it is needed to achieve the results you want then pick it up and move you bolt so the next one over laps he would turn his bolt a little to one side each time to give it a spiral look
i just wasnt sure if it improved the function of the bolt

[sc928porsche]

You will find that setup is the most difficult part. Getting the correct amount of "swirls" on the length of the bolt along with the correct diameter of the swirls and of course the correct overlap so that everything comes out even can be a bit frustrating. You will want the pattern to cover the bolt evenly both lengthwise and around the circumfrance.

[teumessian_fox]

Jeweling holds oil better than a smooth surface, but the jeweling I've had done is for cosmetic reasons.

[T. O'Heir]

"...Jeweling holds oil better..." That's the old justification, but it's primarily cosmetic.
Have an old smithing book around here some place that has an article about it. Uses a drill press, a jig that holds the bolt(not done to the whole action) and allows you to feed the jig under the press and a regular pencil with a bit of emery cloth glued on the eraser. No paste of any kind, as I recall.

[Slamfire]

A lot of rifle bolts had tooling marks from the factory. Only my pre war 64's have bolts that might be characterized as smooth, the 50’s/60’s versions show tool marks. If you have a 1903 or worse, a 1903A3, those have tool marks.

Jewelling will obliterate the tooling marks.

It’s cosmetic, that’s all.

[warbirdlover]

Just a cosmetic thing. I don't like jeweled bolts.

[cle-ter]

usually a novice position, (new hire) or soon to retire person job. cosmetic only.
clete

[Unclenick]

If you have a bolt that's a little tight because it rubs in the action somewhere, jeweling may make it run a bit smoother by loosening it very slightly. However, the rubbing place will wear down the jeweling itself before long. Holding oil doesn't get you much unless you apply enough that it tends to get into the action and maybe your eye when shooting or operating the action. Not a good plan. What it might be useful for is burnishing in and holding a dry lube like Mil-comm 25B. Or if you soak the bolt in Sprinco Plate+ silver it might hold more moly from the suspension than a smooth surface does? Both could help with the smoothness.

But all that said, if you are simply trying to smooth the action, I'd recommend applying the S&W armorer's trick for smoothing double action revolvers to that bolt. You mix up a slurry of JB Bore compound and well-shaken Break Free CLP, goop the bolt and action up with it and just cycle dummy rounds through it until it smooths out. This polishes the rubbing spots in the metal and works in the Teflon in the CLP. It won't remove enough metal to affect critical dimensions. If you goop up the dummies, the extractor and magazine lips and feed ramp see some action, too. The main point of the dummies, though, is to get the follower pressure up under the bolt, so you get the parts bearing on one another as they will when you are actually using it.

[oldcspsarge]

Because PIMP MY RIFLE preceeded PIMP MY RIDE !

[ethan95]

Because PIMP MY RIFLE preceeded PIMP MY RIDE !

LOL. It holds oil a bit better, but is mostly cosmetic.

[hooligan1]

It's kinda cool on some models but, not always,,,, purely cosmetic, I believe.

[Picher]

It hides wear that happens either before or after jeweling. It probably started when many military actions used in sporterized rifles had bolts that looked worn or were parkerized; jeweling made them look like new.

[hooligan1]

Picher +100, I beleive that to be truer than fiction!!!:)

[johnbt]

Because it looks good, even on shotguns.

http://www.hunt101.com/watermark.php?file=306968&size=1

It's a Guerini Woodlander 28 ga.